Boater who vanished in Pamlico Sound off NC is found ashore, US Coast Guard reports

UPDATE: Missing boater John Hess was found ashore early Thursday, Aug. 4, in the Rodanthe area of the Outer Banks, the U.S. Coast Guard reports. He was “reported safe.” The original story is below:

The search continues for a boater who did not return from a trip into the Pamlico Sound off North Carolina, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

John Hess, 38, of Buxton has been missing since late Tuesday, Aug. 2, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

The vast Pamlico Sound is 80 miles long and 30 miles wide, and counts as “the largest sound on the east coast,” according to NCpedia.com. It sits between the mainland and the Outer Banks.

“Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina command center received notification of the situation from Carteret County Emergency Dispatch at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday,” the Coast Guard reports.

“It was relayed that Hess took a friend’s 23-foot boat from a private residence in Beaufort onto the South River at about 4:30 p.m Tuesday and did not return at night as expected. The boat’s owner searched for Hess overnight with no results, then alerted authorities.”

The ongoing search has included an MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter and boats from Coast Guard stations at Hatteras Inlet and Hobucken, officials said. Representatives from state and local agencies have also joined.

“Anyone with additional information regarding this case should contact the Sector North Carolina command center at 910-343-3880.”

This story was originally published August 4, 2022 at 9:22 AM with the headline "Boater who vanished in Pamlico Sound off NC is found ashore, US Coast Guard reports."